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Title: Synthesis of Actinide Materials for the Study of Basic Actinide Science and Rapid Separation of Fission Products

Abstract

This dissertation covers several distinct projects relating to the fields of nuclear forensics and basic actinide science. Post-detonation nuclear forensics, in particular, the study of fission products resulting from a nuclear device to determine device attributes and information, often depends on the comparison of fission products to a library of known ratios. The expansion of this library is imperative as technology advances. Rapid separation of fission products from a target material, without the need to dissolve the target, is an important technique to develop to improve the library and provide a means to develop samples and standards for testing separations. Several materials were studied as a proof-of-concept that fission products can be extracted from a solid target, including microparticulate (< 10 μm diameter) dUO2, porous metal organic frameworks (MOFs) synthesized from depleted uranium (dU), and other organicbased frameworks containing dU. The targets were irradiated with fast neutrons from one of two different neutron sources, contacted with dilute acids to facilitate the separation of fission products, and analyzed via gamma spectroscopy for separation yields. The results indicate that smaller particle sizes of dUO2 in contact with the secondary matrix KBr yield higher separation yields than particles without a secondary matrix. Itmore » was also discovered that using 0.1 M HNO3 as a contact acid leads to the dissolution of the target material. Lower concentrations of acid were used for future experiments. In the case of the MOFs, a larger pore size in the framework leads to higher separation yields when contacted with 0.01 M HNO3. Different types of frameworks also yield different results.« less

Authors:
 [1]
  1. Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1411330
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-17-30783
DOE Contract Number:  
AC52-06NA25396
Resource Type:
Thesis/Dissertation
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; 73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS

Citation Formats

Dorhout, Jacquelyn Marie. Synthesis of Actinide Materials for the Study of Basic Actinide Science and Rapid Separation of Fission Products. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.2172/1411330.
Dorhout, Jacquelyn Marie. Synthesis of Actinide Materials for the Study of Basic Actinide Science and Rapid Separation of Fission Products. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1411330
Dorhout, Jacquelyn Marie. 2017. "Synthesis of Actinide Materials for the Study of Basic Actinide Science and Rapid Separation of Fission Products". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1411330. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1411330.
@article{osti_1411330,
title = {Synthesis of Actinide Materials for the Study of Basic Actinide Science and Rapid Separation of Fission Products},
author = {Dorhout, Jacquelyn Marie},
abstractNote = {This dissertation covers several distinct projects relating to the fields of nuclear forensics and basic actinide science. Post-detonation nuclear forensics, in particular, the study of fission products resulting from a nuclear device to determine device attributes and information, often depends on the comparison of fission products to a library of known ratios. The expansion of this library is imperative as technology advances. Rapid separation of fission products from a target material, without the need to dissolve the target, is an important technique to develop to improve the library and provide a means to develop samples and standards for testing separations. Several materials were studied as a proof-of-concept that fission products can be extracted from a solid target, including microparticulate (< 10 μm diameter) dUO2, porous metal organic frameworks (MOFs) synthesized from depleted uranium (dU), and other organicbased frameworks containing dU. The targets were irradiated with fast neutrons from one of two different neutron sources, contacted with dilute acids to facilitate the separation of fission products, and analyzed via gamma spectroscopy for separation yields. The results indicate that smaller particle sizes of dUO2 in contact with the secondary matrix KBr yield higher separation yields than particles without a secondary matrix. It was also discovered that using 0.1 M HNO3 as a contact acid leads to the dissolution of the target material. Lower concentrations of acid were used for future experiments. In the case of the MOFs, a larger pore size in the framework leads to higher separation yields when contacted with 0.01 M HNO3. Different types of frameworks also yield different results.},
doi = {10.2172/1411330},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1411330}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Nov 28 00:00:00 EST 2017},
month = {Tue Nov 28 00:00:00 EST 2017}
}

Thesis/Dissertation:
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